Apparatus for making tassels and pompons



April 16, 1968 R. F. BRASSAW ETAL 3,377,674

APPARATUS FOR MAKING TASSELS AND POMPONS Filed March 7. 1966 United States Patent 3,377,674 APPARATUS FOR MAKING TASSELS AND POMPONS Robert F. Brass-aw, Anaheim, and Calvin G. Shipley,

Westminster, Calif. (both of $37 W. Collins Ave.,

Orange, Calif. 92667) Filed Mar. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 532,201 2 Claims. (Cl. 28-2) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a new and useful apparatus for making tassels and pompons, and more particularly to an apparatus of the character comprising an oblong base member adapted with means for supporting said apparatus vertically at an inclined angle between the knee and the hand of the operator and being provided with two groups of recesses, one group comprising a plurality of closely-disposed recesses on one half of the base member and a second group comprising a dually recessed arrangement remotely spaced and disposed a suitable distance from said first group of recesses on the other half of said base member, and vertical pegs positioned within said recesses for use in winding filamentary material thereon and thereby making various-size pompons, tassels, and the like.

Many household utility furnishings, such as rugs, draperies, tapestries, pillows, and the like are tufted with pompons, tassels, or the like for ornamental purposes. These ornaments are usually made on automatic machines using various types of cotton, wool, or nylon yarn or metallic filaments of desired color and size. It is often necessary to make such ornaments at home and it is very difficult to form such ornamental articles to the precise configuration and size desired without providing an implement of the type described herein. For this reason, the present invention is particularly suited for use by individuals having no previous experience of making tassels, pompons, or rosettes. Its simplicity of construction and ingenuity with which many types and sizes of tassels, pompons, and rosettes can be produced makes the apparatus a low-cost and unique device for such purposes.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and efiicient device adapted to aid in the forming of tassels and pompous from yarns of wool or cotton, strands of silk, fine wire, and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a base member containing a plurality of recesses bored on one surface thereof and adapted to accommodate the ends of various-size pegs in vertical positions for winding or looping yarns, threads, and the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the recesses in suitably spaced relation to each other so that tassels and pompous can be made in lengths varying from one inch to several feet.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in the simplicity of construction design, practicability of usage, and durability of the apparatus.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus showing a portion thereof in operative perspective,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the device taken at plane 2-2, and

FIGURE 3 illustrates the finished tassel or pompon produced by means of said apparatus.

Referring now to the drawing, the apparatus 10 comprises a base board or member 11 preferably made of Wood or plastic, and is provided with a plurality of recesses 12 bored half way from the top surface of the base 11 and spaced apart one-half to two inches. The recesses 12 are adapted to accommodate vertical elements or pegs 13 of lengths varying from 4 to 7 inches. The base 11 measures approximately 0.5 to 1.5 inches thick, 12 inches wide, and 4 feet long overall, and has at one end a concave section 14 for permitting accommodation thereof on the knee of the operator of said apparatus. The other end 15 is formed into a handle configuration so that the device can be held at an inclined position firmly against the operators knee during winding or looping the yarn, thread, or wire on the pegs 13, or in combination thereof and pegs 16 and 17.

The isolated pegs 16 and 17 are removably disposed in the respective recesses located on one side of the base 11 and are positioned farther apart than the other pegs. The purpose of such a construction is to enable the production of larger size tassels or pompous while the remaining'pegs are in use for making various smaller size tassels or pompons in a continuous winding operation. The wound yarn around the pegs 16 and 17 is normally sheared at portion marked by 3-3; however, the yarn can be sheared adjacent the peg 16 or 17 for forming larger tassels or pompous. An exemplary tassel of the latter category is shown in FIGURE 3.

Transversely disposed to the base board 11 are two grooves 18 and 19 formed into the top surface 20 of the base 11. In making rosettes of ribbons or threads, the groove 18 or 19 is used for placing a short length of thread or ribbon, and the ribbon or element to be formed into a rosette is looped, a desired number of times, around pegs that can be placed in recesses such as 21 and 22; subsequently, the thread or ribbon is tied around the loops thus formed. The object thus formed is removed from the device and the loops rearranged to form a rosette. Either groove 18 or 19 may be used for accommodating the thread or ribbon for binding a knot on the rosette,

For making a tassel or pompon, a desired amount of yarn or thread is looped around any two pegs spaced apart a desired distance. A thread or strand of thread, such as that designated by numeral 23, in FIGURE 1, is looped at one end of the yarn disposed around the peg, such as peg 17, and the yarn is removed and sheared at a desired length. Subsequently, a desired number of turns 24 of thread are placed near the looped section 25 of the yarn and tied. The free end of the yarn is rufiled to form the yarn into a tassel or pompon, as shown in FIGURE 3.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described, it should be understood that certain modifications in the detail of construction and arrangement can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention comprising said apparatus for making tassels and pompous.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for use in making tufted articles and rosettes, comprising an oblong base member with one end made concave to fit the contour of the operators knee and the other end reduced, elongated, and formed into a knob-like projection at the terminal end thereof for accommodation in the hand of the operator whereby said apparatus can be firmly supported in an operative position vertically between the hand and the knee of the operator for efficient operation of said apparatus, a group of closely-positioned recesses formed on one half of said oblong base member and a second group of distantlypositioned recesses formed on the other half of said base member and remotely spaced from said first group of recesses, a plurality of pegs adapted to be accommodated in said recesses and disposed therein in vertical relation to said base member for making loops thereon in forming varying-length small tufts using the pegs in said first group of recesses and varying-length larger-size tufts using the pegs in said second group of recesses and a combination of pegs positioned in various recesses of said first group of recesses and in said second group of recesses, and means formed on said base transversely thereto and intermediately to said first group of recesses so as to accommodate fragmentary filaments for tying knots on said loops for making looped objects on said apparatus.

2. An article of manufacture comprising an oblong plate with one end being concave edgewise and the opposite end being tapered to form a handle for firmly supporting said plate in vertical relation on the knee of the user of said plate, a first group of recesses formed on the axial one half of said plate and a second group of recesses comprising one recess at each end of said plate, axially thereof, being positioned in opposite relation to the axially outermost recesses of said first group of recesses and spaced remotely therefrom, elongated pegs disposed in both of said first and second groups of recesses for use in winding thereon loops of filamentary material to produce small-size loops around the pegs of said first group of recesses, larger-size loops around the pegs of said second group of recesses, and the largest-size loops around the pegs in combination with those in the second group of recesses and those in the first group of recesses, and randomly positioned grooves between the first group of recesses for accommodating fragmentary filaments to tie knots around said loops formed around said pegs in making tassels, rosettes, and the like.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,245,903 6/1941 Cone 282 2,353,640 7/1944 Bishop 282 2,601,715 7/1952 Simonds 2815 2,966,759 1/1961 Robertson 28-15 X 3,223,440 12/1965 Rosenzweig 1891.2

LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner. 

